It seemed like the Seton Hall Pirates were ready to try and prove they could make some noise in the Big East, but after a 67-55 beating by the hands of the lowly Providence Friars, they seem destined to stay in the Big East cellar.

The Hall started the season 12-2 before dropping three straight. Although the first two were to ranked teams, this defeat was inexcusable. The Friars showed determination by ending a five game losing streak. Both teams shot pretty poorly, but a -6 rebound disadvantage and 17 turnovers spelled disaster for the Pirates.

Junior forward Fuquan Edwin did his part with 17 points, seven rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. Senior guard Kyle Smyth was impressive with eight rebounds. Sophomore guard Haralds Karlis chipped in off the bench with 11 points. Seton Hall struggled to get anything going in the paint, with junior Eugene Teague struggling to get six points. The Friars had four starters in double figures, most notably junior guard Bryce Cotton. Cotton had 23 points, nine rebounds, and three three-pointers. Sophomore forward LaDontae Henton had 12 while senior guard Vincent Council and junior forward Kadeem Batts each had 11.

Probably the worst part of the day for the Pirates was a shoulder injured suffered by sophomore forward Brandon Mobley. Mobley was enjoying a breakout year and his absence will be sorely missed.

This was a very bad loss for the Hall. After only two non-conference wins, it seemed like they may be able to make some noise in the Big East. Even blowout losses to Louisville and Notre Dame didn’t seem so bad. But a loss to Providence is unacceptable. Last year, the Pirates won against many top teams in the conference, only to be outdone by bad losses to weaker foes. Last year, they had senior leadership from Jordan Theodore and Herb Pope. This year, with only one senior (Smyth) and being led by Edwin, it seems like the Hall is still a year away, and won’t be able to match last year’s success.

The future is bright for the Pirates. Edwin will be a year better next year and possibly NBA ready. They’ll bring in star recruit Aquille Carr and transfer SterlingGibbs. And young players like Aaron Cosby and Mobley will have another season under their belts. If you can take anything out of this loss, it’s that it’s probably not a good idea to expect too much out of this team and get ready for the future.

Seton Hall will look to rebound at Marquette on Wednesday while Providence heads to Georgetown.

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